Fancy Dress

All the shops seem to be full of fancy dress ready for Halloween. Kieron loves dressing up anyway and Halloween gives him the perfect excuse, not that he really needs one.

Jade was often in demand in earlier years to help Kieron dress in different outfits or he would need my help to make an Easter bonnet, although this was one task we both struggled with as "boys don't wear those mum". After trial and error on Callum when he was at infant school, I finally hit on the idea of a stove pipe hat with a chicken poking out of the top. That was acceptable.

Callum would dress like a skater: so would Kieron, hauling out his big brother's clothes and prancing round in them. Jades clothes, my clothes, nothing is safe when Kieron decides to have a dress up session. Boxers on his head to make a hat, Callum's old Taekwondo suit to become a Ninja Turtle, Jade's ribbon from a bouquet of flowers to make a headband. Socks as gloves, socks as boobs stuffed in one of my bras, socks as willy warmers (typical boy), bras on his head...you name it, Kieron will find a way of wearing it.

Dressed in his Tunisian outfit, running round the house shouting "marhaba" and "jamal" ( you're welcome and camel). Pirate outfit for dress up day at school, Chelsea kit to be a premier league footballer, a sheep in one Nativity, promoted to Joseph in the next, Callum's old Harry Potter cloak and glasses, which became a Dracula outfit one Halloween, a voice changer mask which Jade and her boyfriend bought for Kieron one Christmas, homemade masks from blanks I brought home from work.

Kieron appeared one day during the summer of 2009 wearing my cowboy hat, wedge sandals and denim jacket. He struck a pose on the stairs, mischief all over his face, getting a huge amount of enjoyment from seeing us all laugh.

Quick change and Kieron's T shirt became a crop top and socks became boobs and Jade started to worry about Kieron's sexuality which made him laugh even more.  But it didn't stop her from taking pictures, with the idea in mind that a little blackmail may be in order in later years when Kieron was bringing girlfriends home. I still have the hat and the jacket. Two more things that will never be thrown away.